1. Field of the Invention
In the field of selecting and retrieving randomly filed cards, microfiche, microfiche jackets, or microfilm jackets, the present invention relates to, first, safe-guarding the cards from being accidentally dropped from capsules in which they are stored, so that in one sense, the present invention has regard to capsule construction for information retrieval devices of the type in which cards are normally randomly filed, and are accessed responsive to insertion of the capsule in an associated piece of equipment followed by operation of a selecting means incorporated in the equipment.
The invention pertains, further, to the selection cycle itself, in the sense that the present invention comprises an improvement on the basic invention covered my U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,237 referred to above. The present invention pertains, thus, to the provision of improved means within the information retrieval device itself, adapted to cooperate with the capsule and with the card ejector means in such a way as to cause selected cards to be rocked sharply about a fulcrum and ultimately come to rest in a tilted position in which they are visibly and substantially displaced from unselected cards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been known, heretofore, to provide information retrieval devices for selecting particular cards, microfiche, microfiche jackets, or microfilm jackets, or similar elements that have filed at random in capsules. It has been further known to pre-select capsules from others kept in a storage area, for insertion of the selected capsule in the information retrieval device, following which the retrieval device itself is operated to select and displace a particular card or cards from the inserted capsule.
In my U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,237, I disclose a retrieval device of improved construction, falling within this general, broad description or category. The retrieval device disclosed in said patent includes a bank of selector slides adapted to be received in complementary notches provided in the edges of the cards, and discloses means such that after the desired selector slides have been displaced to enter the notches of the wanted cards, a snap action ejector plate is actuated to displace the wanted cards upwardly in respect to those that have not been selected, to facilitate their removal.
The prior art has disclosed many devices for displacing wanted cards, microfiche, microfiche jackets, or microfilm jackets in respect to those that have not been selected, and the discussion of said prior art found in the mentioned patent, and in the prior art statement filed in the above-mentioned co-pending application maturing into the patent, are hereby incorporated in the present application by reference.
For the purposes of the present application, it is sufficient to note that so far as is known, those information retrieval devices that utilize capsules bodily insertable in the equipment, do not incorporate directly in the capsules card retainer means that will serve efficiently to prevent any card from being accidentally displaced from the capsule when the capsule is out of the information retrieval device itself, but which will automatically move to a card-accessing position responsive to insertion of the capsule in the information retrieval device.
Further, while it is known in the prior art to physically displace wanted from unwanted cards by causing them to be pivoted or rocked about fulcrum points (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,497 to Bleiman; my U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,486,617 and 3,292,631; and French Pat. No. 829,953), so far as is known it has not been previously contemplated to incorporate the displacing means part within the capsule itself, and part within the information retrieval device. Nor does the prior art suggest combining the fulcrum means of the information retrieval device with other components of the equipment in such a way as to cause the fulcrum means to move to its operative position immediately prior to operation of the card ejector plate, and remain in said position until after the ejector plate has acted to forcibly eject wanted cards, with both the ejector plate and the fulcrum means being controlled from a single cam in such a way as to establish a particular, desired, timed relationship of the motions of the fulcrum means and the ejector plate, respectively.